Thursday, November 7, 2013

There has never been anyone like Steve McQueen. The coolest guy ever. Women loved him, and so did men. He was a rascal, and an original. He was straight up.

NOBODY ever had better style. Of course, Cary Grant, Noel Coward, the Duke of Windsor all had perfect taste, beautifully done, but they weren't cool.

Not like McQueen.

photo: William Claxton

I had a brief encounter with him once. It was at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. He was living there. I was staying for a week, visiting from New York. One of those lucky, unforgettable things, frozen in time. He was beautiful. Incredibly so, actually. From the front, and from the back, he was spectacular. There was a game of cat and mouse, but the mouse shied away, and so it went. It was amazing to have him around for a time. He was the most charismatic person I have ever met. And, the most masculine. He was like a lion. He absolutely commanded the space around him, in a very cool, laid back way.

In terms of the style part of this blog, there is no
beating Steve McQueen. From the Savile Row suits, to the desert boots,
white t-shirts, cashmere sweaters and denim, he was unique in the
way that Audrey Hepburn was unique. Totally different, much imitated.
Clean lines, looked great in anything.

I met Mr. McQueen's self-proclaimed illegitimate son, Fred Spiker aka "Spike", a couple of years ago, while designing the costumes for a Mitsubishi commercial he was in.

Opinions vary on his claim, but I can say that after spending some time with him, he is eerily similar to Steve McQueen, and it isn't just his face. He's very charismatic, smelled great, looked great. He is an ex-firefighter who smokes like a fiend, likes to tinker with things, especially fire engines, and has had a rough life. He says he is the result of a one night stand, never acknowledged by his father. He had a chip on his shoulder the size of Monaco. Can't say I blamed him. Sitting across from him at lunch a couple of times, I never mentioned any history, but it was very difficult not to think back, and wonder...

On this day, I'd like to give a nod to that wonderfully wonderful man's and woman's man, who made so many of us smile. The crazy, charming, fabulous, difficult, daredevil, racing roustabout has never been replaced, (although Hollywood tries endlessly. Hello, Kevin Costner and Daniel Craig).

Colin Farrell, Kevin Costner, Pierce Brosnan and Bruce Willis have all
listed McQueen as their hero and inspiration for being an actor. Countless others come into town every week.

Tom Ford did a good job trying to turn Daniel Craig into McQueen in Skyfall, and obviously looks to McQueen as a source in his men's clothing line.

Still...

Nobody comes close.

Photo: The Thomas Crown Affair/M-G-M

Racing at Le Mans

Photo: The Thomas Crown Affair/M-G-M

Thanks for the memories, the magic of your energy, and for your absolute determination to be yourself.

You can’t feel it?
Your core avoids your stubborn ways?
It takes time to reconnect with what you so long ago shut down.
See your thigh that won’t stop shake shake shaking.
Let that motion move you, perhaps even break you.
Stop waiting for what’s next.
What if what you’re waiting for never comes to pass?
Waste no more time waiting.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Today I am tucked in my bed, watching a screener of Zero Dark Thirty, safe because of those who fight for us every day, in unsafe situations.

I thought of this commercial I did many years ago. We wrapped film shortly before 9/11, and several of the Marines involved (there were seventeen actually, if you look closely at the backdrop) went directly to Afghanistan. The military always uses their best and brightest in commercials. Until this, they had only used officers, never enlisted men. That changed with this one. The main climber was enlisted, but because of military protocol, he was changed to an officer minutes before he did the thing with the sword at the end.

I built the first digital print camouflage uniform ever seen for this commercial. It was interesting fabric with special black dye that disappeared under night vision goggles and certain other circumstances. The guy doubling the climber was one of the top snipers on the planet. It was hard to get so close to all of them, knowing that they would eventually be sent into harm's way. I cannot imagine how their families do it.

It was a tough shoot, physically, even for them. There was all sorts of security clearance. I was cleared by the Pentagon, and my blood type was on board when I went up with them in the helicopters.

In the end, those Marines called me into one of their rooms one night and gave me an officer's pin. Nice.

A very humbling experience, I will tell you that. Never again would I pass a soldier and not thank him or her for serving, past or present. Never again would I not give up my seat in the front of the plane if there is a service person on board. Never goes by a Memorial Day that I don't take flowers to veterans at the VA, or others at their graves.

A strong military is a necessity, like it or not. I salute those who stand watch that we might sleep in peace.

About Jan

Jan McGill is a costume designer and stylist who has worked for many years in advertising and entertainment. She has dressed hundreds of actors for countless commercials along with Olympic athletes, celebrities, supermodels, film stars, rock and pop stars and- most gratefully- servicemen and women from every branch of the military.
Jan started her career in advertising at a young age, working as a successful model in Europe and New York. Her first magazine cover was for Italian Vogue, followed by many more
cover/beauty/fashion pages in American and European magazines. She was the face of several
cosmetic lines: Revlon, Clairol, and Max Factor.
Jan has had the privilege of working with some great commercial and film directors and many of the most respected photographers in the world, including Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, David Bailey, David Hamilton,Terence Donovan,
Arthur Elgort, and Albert Watson, Joe Pytka, Tony Scott, and Eric Saarinen, amongst others. The legendary editors Anna Wintour and Helen Gurley Brown
both allowed her to be part of their editing process. Each of these creative visionaries have had a hand in forming her aesthetic viewpoint.